Scansoriopteryx

Scansoriopteryx
Temporal range: Callovian to Oxfordian, 165–156 Ma
Skeletal restoration of the type specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Scansoriopterygidae
Genus: †Scansoriopteryx
Czerkas & Yuan, 2002
Species:
†S. heilmanni
Binomial name
†Scansoriopteryx heilmanni
Czerkas & Yuan, 2002
Synonyms
  • Epidendrosaurus ninchengensis
    Zhang et al., 2002

Scansoriopteryx ("climbing wing") is a genus of maniraptoran dinosaur. Described from only a single juvenile fossil specimen found in Liaoning, China, Scansoriopteryx is a sparrow-sized animal that shows adaptations in the foot indicating an arboreal (tree-dwelling) lifestyle. It possessed an unusual, elongated third finger which may have supported a membranous wing, much like the related Yi qi. The type specimen of Scansoriopteryx also contains the fossilized impression of feathers.[1]

Most researchers regard this genus as a synonym of Epidendrosaurus, with some preferring to treat Scansoriopteryx as the junior synonym,[2][3] though it was the first name to be validly published.[4]

  1. ^ Czerkas, S.A., and Yuan, C. (2002). "An arboreal maniraptoran from northeast China." Pp. 63-95 in Czerkas, S.J. (Ed.), Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight. The Dinosaur Museum Journal 1. The Dinosaur Museum, Blanding, U.S.A. PDF abridged version
  2. ^ Padian, Kevin. (2001) "Basal Avialae" in "The Dinosauria" in "The Dinosauria: Second Edition" University of California Press. 2004.
  3. ^ Feduccia, Alan; Lingham-Soliar, Theagarten; Hinchliffe; Richard, J. (November 2005). "Do feathered dinosaurs exist? Testing the hypothesis on neontological and paleontological evidence". Journal of Morphology. 266 (2): 125–166. doi:10.1002/jmor.10382. PMID 16217748. S2CID 15079072.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference harris2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).